The Press: A Blow at Freedom?

In the case of Minot ("Mickey") Jelke III, 23, newsmen from papers all
over the world had a story made for them. Jelke, a socialite heir to a
multimillion dollar fortune, was accused of managing a circle of
glamorous prostitutes who operated in Manhattan's glossiest nightspots
and, for that matter, around the world (TIME, Feb. 2). This week, as
the press warmed up for the first headline-making days of the trial,
reporters got an unexpected and bitter piece of news.

In an order without precedent in Manhattan, General Sessions Judge
Francis L. Valente, 47, banned the press from the trial, in...